Dear all, I understand that you are in the middle of various decisions and the final is coming. One of you guys asked me what I am looking for when I was choosing who to work with.Here is the response I wish to share with you all:---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"My major decision factor is: how the JBEI experience may enrich your career development. I care about whether you may fully leverage the resources here and build up your own career. As long as there is a great match, we can work together.
According to my lab mates, it will take at least "one semesters + one holiday" for an undergraduate to start from initial training and gradually taste how research feels like. During this one year, you may be productive in helping your graduate buddy to achieve certain milestone. It will take another year before you can think on your own and achieve something independently! Research does take a lot of effort and requires blocks of time. But I assure you, there is a lot you can experience: the search for wisdom, project management, communication with R&D people, optimism towards failure, meticulous attitude towards the positive results. In the end you will gain a lot out of it. When you go to job interview, your solid R&D attitude will become a differentiating character that will catch your future employors' attention.
Through our talk, we will go through your summer schedule and your next fall's schedule. I won't probe into details, just wish to work with you and organize a schedule that can make your JBEI experience meaningful. I will also discuss how my own undergraduate research feels like and hopefully give you further information.
If I feel you may be too occupied to learn and carry out experiments productively, I would suggest you make a choice early on. Since an experience without much learning is a waste of time. This is actually the first lesson I want to teach as your graduate buddy: opportunity cost. In order to gain something, we have to give up something else. By analogy, doing something you are not passionate about has a very high opportunity cost! Even you feel it builds up your resume, in the end you lost the chance to pursue your life's passion. And that is costly! Life is too short and too precious."
I understand that you are in the middle of various decisions and the final is coming. One of you guys asked me what I am looking for when I was choosing who to work with.Here is the response I wish to share with you all:---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"My major decision factor is: how the JBEI experience may enrich your career development. I care about whether you may fully leverage the resources here and build up your own career. As long as there is a great match, we can work together.
According to my lab mates, it will take at least "one semesters + one holiday" for an undergraduate to start from initial training and gradually taste how research feels like. During this one year, you may be productive in helping your graduate buddy to achieve certain milestone. It will take another year before you can think on your own and achieve something independently! Research does take a lot of effort and requires blocks of time. But I assure you, there is a lot you can experience: the search for wisdom, project management, communication with R&D people, optimism towards failure, meticulous attitude towards the positive results. In the end you will gain a lot out of it. When you go to job interview, your solid R&D attitude will become a differentiating character that will catch your future employors' attention.
Through our talk, we will go through your summer schedule and your next fall's schedule. I won't probe into details, just wish to work with you and organize a schedule that can make your JBEI experience meaningful. I will also discuss how my own undergraduate research feels like and hopefully give you further information.
If I feel you may be too occupied to learn and carry out experiments productively, I would suggest you make a choice early on. Since an experience without much learning is a waste of time. This is actually the first lesson I want to teach as your graduate buddy: opportunity cost. In order to gain something, we have to give up something else. By analogy, doing something you are not passionate about has a very high opportunity cost! Even you feel it builds up your resume, in the end you lost the chance to pursue your life's passion. And that is costly! Life is too short and too precious."
Thank you.
Yours,Jingwei Zhang